Minnesota Invitational: California Sets Pool Record with 1:34.24 Medley Relay
The University of California kicked off the 2024 Minnesota Invitational Wednesday night with a pool record time in the women’s 200 medley relay.
The Cal quartet of Isabelle Stadden, Leah Polonsky, Mia Kragh and Mary-Ambre Moluh clocked in at 1:34.24. That’s a Jean K. Freeman Pool record. It is exactly two seconds under the NCAA A cut, fifth in program history and third in the nation this season.
Cal won the race by three seconds, with the Golden Bears B team second and C team fourth. Stadden split 23.34 off the front, followed by Polonsky in 26.36, Kragh in 23.51 and freshman French Olympian coming home in 21.03.
Minnesota’s A squad was second in 1:37.66.
Cal won all four races to open the meet. In the men’s 200 medley relay, Cal fielded two teams in the 1:24s, though none hit even the NCAA B standard of 1:24.03. The A squad of Bjorn Seeliger, Yamato Okadome, Roman Jones and Lucca Battaglini won in 1:24.03, with the B team of Kai Crews, Hank Rivers, Samuel Quarles and Nans Mazellier second in 1:24.35. Mazellier, in 19.16, outsplit his A-team counterpart.
Minnesota was third overall in 1:25.43.
The Cal women grabbed an A cut in the 800 free relay via Ava Chavez, Mia West, Stadden and Polonsky in 6:59.13. Polonsky led the way in 1:44.08 off the end, with Chavez (1:44.78) and Stadden (1:44.73) also in the 1:44s. The men secured an A cut in 6:14.39 thanks to Keaton Jones, Gabriel Jett, Mazellier and Trent Frandson. Jett led the way with a stellar 1:32.04, while Frandson came home in 1:33.39.
Cal’s B team was second in 6:21.40, a half-second ahead of Minnesota’s A squad in 6:21.92.
Cal’s men’s and women’s teams have the maximum of 128 points to lead the team standings. Minnesota is second in both with 112. Harvard, Denver, UNLV and Rutgers (women’s only) round out the field.
